Team Free Heaven
by Frozeninspace
Summary: Set after 8x23- Sacrifice. Ash and an injured Naomi team up to take on Metatron. Inspiration from a Tumblr post.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, and welcome to my new fanfiction! The prompt comes from a Tumblr post which you may well have seen, and I decided to write it!**

**So yes, happy hunting, and please review!**

* * *

The day the Angel fell, Ash's laptop stopped working- or so he thought.  
'Fucksake, I thought things didn't break in heaven!' he shouted at the object, slamming his hand on the desk. And then he looked outside. For the first time in Ash's time in Heaven, which had mainly revolved around him getting paralytic and waking up without a hangover, it wasn't light outside, and there wasn't any stars either, but…comets? The fuck?  
Ash walked over to the window, and was shocked to see one angel, in a suit, with his wings on fire.  
'Holy shit,' he thought, 'those winged dicks are falling.'  
Fucking Winchesters.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of Heaven, a female angel was lying on the floor. She wasn't dead, like everyone thought, just stunned. And there was something sticking into her spinal column, meaning she couldn't move.  
Oh excellent, Naomi thought, not only has Heaven fallen, thanks to that Seraph trusting Metatron, but I'm stuck lying here until he decides he needs me. Or he realises that I'm not dead.

She laid there for a long time after that.

* * *

And in another part of Heaven, where it was the eternal Wednesday afternoon of a French couple who died in a car accident in 1975, sat Metatron, admiring his handiwork. He was free of other angels, and sooner or later one of the largest of his bug-bears, that damn Samuel Winchester, would be dead, leaving his dependant brother completely lost and alone while caring for that damned Angel of Thursday. He smiled, enjoying the fact that he now had the entirety of Heaven to himself.  
This was going to be a nice eternity.

Or so he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Ash frantically started to try and access the angel network from his celestial laptop, noting that the number of vocal patterns he was picking up was falling, and falling fast. It got to the point that there was the grand total of two left available on his system, and one of those was weak, but stable. And getting stronger? He hacked into the location, and it was located somewhere he'd never been. He didn't quite understand exactly how he moved around in Heaven, as it just happened, but suddenly he was in a white room, staring at a female angel (angelle?) lying on the floor, with something sticking out of her head, but since it wasn't a blade, and her eyes were open and staring at him, he wasn't worried about having to pull it out. No worse than having to behead a vampire, he supposed. She immediately began to heal, and he could see her mouth trying to form something like a thank you.

Naomi felt strangely indebted to the mulleted human soul standing in front of her. It couldn't have been easy, having to pull that out of her head, and now she could finally gain some of her motor functions back. She stretched her back and limbs, ignoring the strange tingling feeling associated with the fact that she must have landed on something when Metatron shoved the drill into her head, most likely a broken piece of glass, and it had gone directly through her chest, into her spine. Well, that smarted a bit. She rolled over, pulling the blood covered glass from her chest. She realised the human was watching, and attempted to mouth thanks, as was the custom among humans. She was more concerned with the state her home was in. All the angels had fallen, except for her, strangely, and her campaign to save it had failed. The trench coated seraph, so stupid and full of faith, had trusted that damned self-important scribe of Father, and now it was her, him and the souls.

'Hello, ma'am. I take it you're an angel.' The human was talking. To her.

'Yes. What do you want?' She dusted herself off, cleaning up her suit as she stood.

'I just want to know what's happened to the rest of you. I'm Ash.' He stood still, waiting for her to reply.

'Naomi. A certain scribe has caused most of Heaven to fall. There is only him and I left.' Her voice choked. She had failed. She had failed her family.

'Ah. Metatron - I'd heard you guys talking about him. I take it he was a bastard after all then.'

'Please refrain to swear in my presence. But yes.' She went to walk off.

'Hey, don't go. I know some people that can help. They're human, but we're basically all you got.'

'You are not getting involved in this. Go back. Thank you for removing that object from my head, but please, leave.'

'Hell no, Lady. You're still healing, and there's no way you can take him on without help. He'll kill you.'

'I'm aware of that. That's why you're not coming - he may destroy you as well, and then you wouldn't even be a soul. You'd be nothing.' She tried again, but the soul grabbed her arm, strangely strong enough to hold her still.

'And what happens if you die, huh? Won't the same thing happen to you?' Damned persistent man.

'I will become a human for a life. Then I shall return here.'

'Not with all you lot fallen you won't. Now let me help you, or I'm going to force you into it.' Strangely, she didn't underestimate him - she'd heard tales about this one from Zachariah. She was a fried of the Winchesters, the former thorns in her side. Now she felt she ought to be praying to them for this Ash man.

'Very well. Come along. Time is not to be wasted.'

'Nuh uh, Naomi. We gotta stop a couple of places to visit first.'

She didn't like the sound of that.

* * *

Meanwhile, Metatron was sat in a separate part of Heaven. He knew the souls would revolt eventually, but how to control them. He, when he was a young scribe, remembered a tablet he had been ordered to write, yet he couldn't remember what it said, except that it was to control the souls and create his own paradise. He had been ordered to destroy it, but he had hid it, somewhere safe. He had always known this day would come, and finally it was here for him.

And no one was going to stop him.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi again! I just want to than everyone for following/favouriting this, this is so many more than I'd expected! I also want to apologise for the wait - I've had a lot of exams in the past few weeks, and I had to put writing on the back burner for a couple of weeks, but thank you for staying, and I hope that you enjoy what I've got planned for this.**

* * *

Ash and Naomi immediately started to run where Ash had decided it was a good idea to be headed. They arrived Ash's heaven, the bar scene, and Naomi wrinkled her nose in distaste at the scent of stale beer, and wondered how on earth humans could bear to drink the stuff, especially when it was literally poison. Ash went and sat at the table where his laptop was left, and he started working on finding out where his hunter friends' heavens were. He knew where Pamela's was, and he also knew about Einstein's, but he hadn't had the chance to try and track down other people. He figured Ellen and Jo would be sharing a heaven (family bonds always cause that), and he knew they wouldn't be too far away. He didn't know where on earth the elder Winchesters were, but he thought that they'd be together, most likely nearby as well - as much as Ash hadn't liked John, mainly for his ridiculous vengeance mission to kill the demon that was eventually his son's job, hunters generally had a strong bond, and it was a seriously strange occurrence that hunters all seemed to end up orbiting each other's heavens.

Naomi, meanwhile, found herself surprised at the young man's skills- maybe the humans weren't as bad as she had always thought? But then she remembered the World Wars, caused by two particularly petty men with hatred burning in their eyes, and she was reminded - these good humans were a rarity, and this particular human was a former friend of the Winchesters, who were to be detested. She was strangely shocked when the man with the strange haircut laughed, and immediately inquired as to what was so funny.

'Well, I found my friend's heavens. Ellen, Jo and Will Harvelle are on a camping trip, and John and Mary Winchester are reliving their early lives. Wait….is that….oh, Bobby, not you too? Well, that's a surprise. Him and Karen are living out their marriage in the salvage yard.' Naomi had no idea who these people were, but he recognised the names somewhat - these people had helped to prevent the Apocalypse, much to the chagrin of the now-dead Raphael. As much as she had been on his side, he'd been a true pain, and she only stood with him because otherwise there was Castiel, the angel with too much humanity.

'When are we going to find them?'

'As soon as I find my weapons. Have you got your angel blade?'

'Of course.' The long silver shaft slid into existence.

'Awesome. I'm gonna grab my angel blade bullets and my gun, and we can head off.'

'Did you say…..angel blade bullets?'

'Of course. So many died two years ago that I picked up a few and decided to melt them down into bullets, just in case that Zachariah came to try and attack me.'

'That's very…interesting.' All these people thought of was violence, surely.

Ash went into the back of the bar, muttering something along the lines of 'look at me being all clever' and as the door swung shut, Naomi sighed. How had she come to side with these people, whose goals differed so much from her own? Ash came back, grunting, and she walked over, figuring that she should probably help him.

'Thanks.'

'You're welcome I believe.'

'Jesus, woman, do you ever smile?' Ash broke out into a grin as he said this.

'This is no laughing matter. I will smile as soon as this Metatron is dead.'

'Alright then.'

Ash set up his computer, honing in on the right frequency, and the mismatched pair went off to find some helpful and rebellious souls.

* * *

Metatron was sitting at his former desk, trying to remember where exactly he had buried the tablet. He remembered some woods, but this was eons ago, and the woods were in almost every heaven.

And then it came to him.

He'd left them in a log cabin, the newly occupied heaven of an inconsequential man whose body had been taken by a certain irritating angel.

James Novak.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am so sorry that this is so late. I've been ill and stressed and had loads of trips to go on, and I haven't had the time or motivation to write. But hopefully I'll have time to update this more often in the future, so thanks for the follows, reviews, faves, etc. and I hope that you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

The first people that they found were Jo and Ellen. Oddly, Ellen wasn't behind the bar, but by a lake with her daughter, simply soaking up the sunlight from the memory. Will was absent, suggesting that this wasn't a shared memory, but rather a day that they spent together after he had died. Ash smiled and walked over to the woman who had been maybe fifteen years older than him, and she welcomed him with open arms.

'Ash, how are ya? Will's just off fishing somewhere, so he should be back soon. And who's this lovely lady behind you? Don't tell me you've hooked up in Heaven?' She winked conspiratorially.

'Not this time, hun. This is Naomi. She's an angel. Y'know, the one who I was keeping tabs on?'

'The one whose name you didn't know.'

'Yep, that's her. Well, we got a problem – one angel's gone all pig-assed, and he's expelled all the others from Heaven. Fancy helping us get some revenge on the bastard?'

'I dunno, Ash, I mean….I've got a nice little Heaven set up here, and I can't risk losing it.'

'It's not like you can die, you know.'

'Yeah, but….'

'C'mon, Mom. This place is great, but I'm itching for a fight. Been about three earth years since I last hunted, remember?' Jo piped up, all blonde hair and smiles.

'What did I ever do to get you as a daughter, hey?' Ellen smiled maternally and turned back to Ash. 'Fine, but I swear to God, if we get Heaven hurt, your mullet is gonna be shoved down your throat.'

'Wouldn't have it any other way, Harvelle. Now, let's go.'

'Whoa, whoa, whoa. We have no plan, no nothing. You really think we can jump some bigshot angel?'

'Of course we can't. Ash is being utterly ridiculous. We have a plan; Metatron, loathsome as he is, is extremely intelligent, and as such we cannot simply 'jump him', as you say. What we plan to do is gather up, particularly with a certain Robert Singer, where we can research some tactics before attacking the swine.'

'Well…..ain't she organised. Might do you some good, Ash, hanging round with her.'

'Hey! It's not like the Roadhouse was ever really a mess.' He frowned.

'Only cause I cleaned up after you!' sang Jo.

'Yeah, well…details. Can we just go find Bobby? I have to find the heaven of a certain PlayBoy model, and no way will some angel stop me from finding her.'

'You are worse than Dean.'

'Oh, I try.'

* * *

Metatron's search for the tablet really wasn't going well. Not only could he not find the damned heaven, which appeared to have moved from its original place, but the tablet itself wasn't giving any signal to him, unlike the others. James was also a problem. Something that damned Castiel had done to him had changed his soul, and he was somehow stronger than the others. Every time he found him, he vanished before Metatron could teleport to him. However, how on Earth had that damned abomination to angel-kind managed to change a human's soul?

Eventually, however, James' control slipped, and Metatron homed in on the man with a soul burning like a comet. That could only really mean one thing - the man had become a demi-angel. As Castiel had become human, Jimmy had become more of an angel. This was nothing like a Nephilim, but was in fact more dangerous. Well, for Metatron.

And he wasn't alone. As Metatron appeared in the log cabin, knowing himself capable of removing the angel part of Jimmy and dealing with a similar soul, he gained a small surprise.

Standing in front of him was a very angry, and slightly human Gabriel.

'Hello, little brother, I think you've got some explaining to do.'

As the humans say, shit.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: This will be a Metatron centralised chapter, as I've kind of neglected him since I started writing…..yeah…..however, I am going to include a small amount of the others, just to keep you on your toes. Oh, and of course I added Gabriel- he's possibly one of the best characters written on the series, and elsewhere here on , so I decided to add him in here (as a sidenote, he's also in my completed OC story, which you can find on my count if you're interested).**_

_**Happy hunting!**_

* * *

Metatron stood there, mouth agape, staring at the smaller man with whiskey gold eyes and an impish smile, even if that smile was only small at this moment. Having an archangel angry at you is never a good idea, but Gabriel, how never got involved with family politics anymore was a particularly bad enemy.

'Well, well, well,' the former Trickster said, 'what do we have here? I was able to stay quiet when lil old Cassie went all righteous on humanity's collective ass, but making all of the angels –well, almost all - fall? Brother, you have reached universal levels of stupid. I swear to Dad, when He gets home, you are gonna be in a world of pain.'

'G-Gabriel, we all thought you were dead.'

'Yeah, yeah, you all did. Got myself back into the witness protection program. Not a new body though, I've become attached, but it was much easier to pretend I was dead than deal with you great big bags of dicks any day.'

'You will not stop me, Gabriel. I am going to get that tablet from Novak's Heaven, and I will bring destruction on those annoying creatures destroying our 'Father's' work. He hasn't been here for eons, and man is destroying the beauty of what He created. It is time for us to take back the planet, and we need to try and save what is left.'

'Oh, Mettie, you don't think we all know what they do? They're stupid, and tall, and they really need to learn that those hamburgers are really bad for them, but they are what Dad created. You yourself enjoy the heavens that these people create. Surely those 'annoying creatures' are responsible for making Heaven what it is today?'

'Gabriel, brother, listen. This isn't an outright attack on the humans. My main aim was to rid Heaven of the constant chattering. Listen to those angels, particularly Castiel' – he sneered – ' moaning about Father, about the humans, I wanted it to stop. And now, there is silence. Even you are human enough to not irritate me with you constant chattering about lollipops.'

'Don't you dare insult my lollipops. And I may be slightly human, Writer of the Word of God, but I can assure you, my wits are still in place, and I am perfectly capable of bringing you down.'

'You are not. You are a human now, an abomination. Surely you cannot 'bring me down' as you so put it. You are nothing anymore.'

'Wanna bet?' Gabriel pulled out his blade, the celestial metal glinting under the sunlight which was beginning to filter into the light. 'Jimmy, come out here.'

Out walked Jimmy Novak, who, although identical to Castiel's vessel, looked completely different. The man appeared savage, his smile pulled into a growl, his eyes burning orange with the strength of the grace inside him. 'You know, James, Metatron. Well, meet the half - seraphim James, who is now angel enough to help me destroy you.'

With the last sentence, Gabriel, teleported behind Metatron, grabbing him one handed by the neck. His appearance began to morph more into his true form, but not totally - there was an aura of humanity surrounding him. 'Do you doubt me now, brother?'

Of course, Metatron was prepared, and had manoeuvred himself into a position where he escaped Gabriel's grasp, instead flying straight at Jimmy, his angel blade raised, before striking Jimmy in the heart destroying his angelic capacity. The man fell to the floor, gripping the spot where the blade had pierced the grace, which was now slowly bleeding out. Gabriel growled and extended one arm, healing Jimmy, who sprung up and grabbed Metatron's blade from his side, pointing it at the disgraced angel's neck.

'Jimmy, calm. We can't kill him. He must pay in other ways for his crimes.'

'He destroyed Heaven!'

'Yes, that is true, but first we must find the human tablet, should we risk others getting a hold of it.'

'But….'

'Boy, you really are like Castiel, aren't you. Just as stubborn as when he was just a child.'

Metatron took advantage of the distraction and fled, heading directly towards the place that he had left the tablet. The tree was obvious - it was golden, bathed in ethereal light, the leaves like paper, contrasting the other trees. Metatron wondered why his younger self was so ostentatious, but set right to work, digging beside the tree.

Eventually, his fingers hit something hard, which felt like no rock on Earth. He pulled the piece of rock up, and wiped it, taking in the familiar handwriting, his own.

He had found the tablet.

With one small smile, he fled, just as Gabriel caught up to him.

'Well, balls.'

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash and Naomi were busy building up a battle plan. All of the hunters had been retrieved, thanks to Naomi's superior tracking skills, and they were sat around a table, looking at a map on a table which Ash was sure he had seen on a war film. They were just moving counters, representing them, as Naomi's head snapped up, and she said in a surprised tone. 'No. He is dead. How can he- brother, oh brother, what are you doing?'

Ash stood, and shook her shoulders, as she turned to him and said, 'My brother is alive. The Archangel Gabriel lives. And Castiel's vessel too, he is now an ang- NO! Metatron! How dare you destroy our adopted brother's grace!'

Ash was very confused, until Naomi snapped back into their reality. 'Metatron has the tablet. All is lost.'

And with that, an archangel-cum-Trickster crash landed into the Roadhouse, pulling a human soul with him.

'We need your help.'

Well, Ash thought, this just keeps getting better.


	6. Chapter 6

So they were there, standing around in a circle, staring at the new arrivals, who were lying in a dog pile on the floor. Ash had no idea who these people were, except from Naomi's earlier keening, who was now sitting in the corner, catatonic, repeating the name 'Gabriel' over and over. It was quite shocking, seeing an angel like that. Luckily, the short man on the floor with eyes like the drink in Ash's glass seemed to dislike quiet, as he stood up and walked over to slap Ash on the back.

'I take it you're the famous Ash. You've been stirring the shit up here, dude. More than I ever did.'

'So YOU'RE Gabriel.'

'The one and only.'

'Dean hates you, y'know.'

'Haha, he wishes. No one can hate me, I'm adorable.'

'Hmm.' Cocky twat.

'I'm not cocky, I'm an archangel.'

'Well, well, well, an archangel. Whooptie doo.'

'Better respect me, Mullet Man, or this will be you.' A few glasses smashed behind Ash.

'Okay then. Who's the sleepy guy.'

'My brother's vessel. Poor old Cassie, he's human now.'

'Damn…. he's the Winchester's guardian, yeah.'

'So you know of him then. Well, guardian, Deano's boyfriend, I don't really care. I just want to shove my blade into Metatron. Not a euphemism, bud.' The archangel winked, and Ash felt strangely at ease with the mean, who was eating a lollipop.

'Fine, fine. So, how are we gonna stop this guy? And can you fix her?' He gestured to the corner.

'Crap, that's Naomi. Oh, my poor sister. That Metatron did something to you, didn't he?' Gabriel spoke as he walked over to her, and he began to stroke her face with the back of his hand, the jovial look leaving his eyes.

'He put a drill in her head, but she recovered from that. She saw you two fight, and then she saw him get that tablet, and she's been like that since.'

'Aww, fuck. Come 'ere, sis. Let big brother fix you up.' He touched her head, and suddenly she returned to their realm.

'Gabriel? We thought you were dead!'

'Alive and kicking, Nay. You okay now?'

'Yes, I am. Thank you. You've been with the humans too long. You have gained their vernacular.'

'Nothing wrong with that, sis. Now, let's get Metatron yeah? You have a plan, right?'

'Currently, it's point and shoot. Not much else, I'm afraid. We weren't counting on him finding a tablet. Especially the human tablet.'

'Whoa, whoa, whoa. Human tablet? What does that do?'

'Gets rid of all humans. No free human souls, all simply an army. Effectively, resurrection day, just with a higher body count.'

'How will that work?'

'Surplus souls go to Purgatory. Heaven will be clear for Metatron alone.'

'We gotta get that tablet.'

'I know.'

'He's a slippery bastard, that one.'

'I agree. But fortunately, not as slippery, considering I injured his wings. I also have my 'angel radio' back, so I know exactly where he is.'

'Where?'

'With the Winchesters.'

'Oh shit. Wait, living or dead?'

'The living ones who are here temporarily to help us.'

'WHAT?' How the hell were those two back here, again, and temporarily?

' I'm an archangel. They've been astral projected up here for help.'

'WHAT?'

'They'll be back on earth soon. I sent a message to my brother to hide their bodies. They're currently in a motel in Florida.'

'Erm, okay?' Damned archangels.

'Yes, okay.'

'You brought those abominations up here? What is wrong with you?' Naomi was angry.

'Nothing's wrong with me. We need them.'

'No we do not.'

It was at this point that Jimmy piped up, seemingly now awake. 'Oh good, I have nothing against the Winchesters.'

'That's why we need them. You okay Jimmy?'

'As I can be. Let's face it, I'm dead, and my angel powers are gone. But hey, let's go kick some angel butt, huh?'

'Atta boy. Let's plan.'

* * *

A few hours later, they had a solid plan. Sam and Dean would track Metatron, but they had been ordered not to kill him or approach him, particularly not without anyone else there. He was too much of a risk, and he would never suspect those two unless they attacked him. Somehow, they had some weird angel mobile signal, and Gabriel was contacting them through that. Jimmy would eventually join them, when he had healed, as well as everyone else. They were all briefed on their roles, but Naomi was still unhappy, and Gabriel decided that they needed to talk privately.

'What is wrong with you, sister?'

'Why do you value these vicious creatures so, brother? They are alright, but they are not like us.'

'That's exactly why. They're fun. They're cruel, and they're vindictive, but they're also kind and loyal. They are, in those ways, like us.'

'But….they're so…stubborn. And irritating.'

'Like Uriel was? Like Aquaeriel was? Like I am?'

'You have a point there. But why bring in Aquaeriel into this? My grace sister bore a Nephilim. She was condemned. And Uriel was killed by Anael. You died too, Gabriel. Why is stubbornness so endearing to you?'

'Because it shows that they can do as they wish, much like we couldn't until extremely recently. Father doesn't care any more. He wants us free. He told me.'

'He…spoke to you?'

'I found him one Earth, living in the guise of a prophet who took pleasures in drink and women. I'm not surprised, raising us was a trial, particularly with Luci and Michael. And me.'

'Yes, I remember. Raphael was not much better, so I recall.'

'Well, at least he taught you to fly.'

'True. I miss our brothers. How long before Lucifer and Michael are freed?'

'Michael is freed, he's just living quietly on earth for a short time before returning. He has no idea as to what is happening. And Lucifer…..he is too busy torturing souls in Hell to return.'

'They're idiots.'

'I agree. However, at least we have one sensible sister, yes?'

'Yes, at least there's one sensible archangel among us. I just wish Aquaeriel were here to see this.'

'We all do. Nephilim are no longer frowned upon as much, so we now see her death as useless.'

'I know. I still check her bloodline though. They're doing very well.'

'The Nephilim didn't die?'  
'No. They declared the child as safe, seeing as the powers were mainly unusable on earth.'

'Huh. Never expected that. Who are they now?'

'They're a lot of people. However, there's a few scientists and actors that owe their looks and intelligence to her.'

'Of course, how did I not guess?'

'Because, brother, you aren't me.' With that, she left, her opinion on humans changed now she had remembered her sister.

Gabriel smiled, and stared into the woods for a little while longer, before returning to begin to prepare.

* * *

Metatron was angry. He had almost lost the tablet, and his wings were injured beyond his limits. He was stuck on the slow for a while, especially without wings, and he was worried for his chances. He'd also read the instructions, and now he knew what he needed to bring the humans under his control. He required the grace of a fallen angel, which he had - that Castiel had been the first part of his spell. He also needed the blood of a hellhound, which he had gained due to that Winchester. He only needed three more ingredients - the wing feather of an archangel, the soul of a human, and the hair of a vessel. Then, he would be the master of many Heavens, empty except for him. How perfect, he thought, unaware of the two silent spirits behind him, watching his every move.

* * *

_**A/N: Hello again! Thanks for your continued support, and I hope you like where this is going. I'm taking it a chapter at a time, rather than writing in one go, as I think the story will progress better this way. As for Aquaeriel, she is an OFC, about whom I may end up writing in a one-shot eventually. I also hope you like the way I've brought Sam and Dean in, but they'll be extremely minor characters in this, unless you tell me otherwise. I also hope you like the fact that I've made Naomi an archangel, as the show never explicitly says that she is an angel per se, and I think this adds a new layer to her character, particularly with her relationship with Gabriel.**_  
_**Also, I'm now set up as a beta, so if you're interested...yada yada yada.**_

_**Until next time!**_


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hi guys! Sorry it's been so long, I've had various issues with wifi and I've been on holiday, but I've got this and the next chapter completed, which I will put up in the next few days. Hope you enjoy this!

* * *

The motley group of angels and humans continued their planning whilst Metatron continued to collect his items. They, whilst in continual contact from the displaced Winchesters, kept them up with what the rogue angel was doing, whilst at the same time giving some of the long-dead hunters some comfort in knowing that they were - mostly - okay; Sam was still recovering from the effects of the trials, but was getting better rapidly now that his soul was in Heaven, collecting energy that was transferred back to his body, healing it. Gabriel surprised himself with how pleased he was to hear this, but decided to think nothing of it- he'd always had a soft spot for the Winchester, just as Castiel has always had one for Dean. It wasn't so much romantic, but rather a different type- Gabriel felt in some ways like a brother to Sam, which he revealed when he had tried to prepare Sam for Dean's death, but in other ways as a friend, when he practically died saving them from Lucifer. Castiel and Dean were somewhat more complex, especially now that the former was human; there was an extremely strange relationship between them, which couldn't be described in any words that were available to humans. There was one Enochian phrase, which was something akin to 'soulmates', but not in the way that mortal minds conceived it.

Meanwhile, Naomi was still getting used to the thought of being on the same side as the Winchesters, the men she had despised from the moment of their conception, knowing how their fates would intertwine. Of course, things had changed, and she had begun to realise that they were not so different. Perhaps it was her brother's influence, but perhaps it was also the reminder of Aquaeriel that had swayed her so easily; her grace sister had always been a sore spot, ever since she had borne that Nephil which ripped her away from Naomi, and although she had learnt to tolerate the humans, and even to like some of them, she still blamed them for her sister's downfall.

Ash was in a similar position. He had always thought of the angels as dicks with wings, yet Gabriel was in many ways similar to him, considering their similar demeanours and styles of humour- often Bobby would get fed up of the both of them, clout them round the head, and then laugh when Karen scolded him for it. Bring in Jimmy's sardonic humour, and you had a real mix of jokes that suited everyone.

However, there was still a plan in action, even surrounding the 'nights' which consisted of everyone drinking their ideal drinks. They decided to see what the full plan was going to be, and then they would try and stop him, before completely destroying the angel formerly known as Metatron. They knew that he had the human tablet, and what he planned, but they had no idea how he would do it- the only person who knew what was on the tablet was Metatron, excepting God, and he wasn't exactly helpful, considering he'd run off long ago, which led to this mess.

All in all, they hadn't achieved much, yet they were well on their way to being prepared. And they continued on this trend for many more days, as Metatron's plan began to flourish.

* * *

The hellhound blood and angel grace were carefully hidden in small vials around his neck, and he had found two of the last few things he needed. He had only the final item to get; the feather of an archangel. He knew that Gabriel was with the heathens, but Lucifer would almost definitely be on his side. The human soul he had used for the millennia down there was surely now ripped to shreds, even with Michael down there protecting the boy as he had done with any human vessel of his; perhaps he would be interested in bringing about the downfall of humanity.

Metatron knew he must make the descent down to Hell, thankfully still open after he had given the two Winchesters the instructions on what to do; he hadn't expected them to attempt it, let alone almost complete it. He just didn't know how to get there without cutting through Elysia, the home of dead angels, where many disgruntled brethren waited for him. The Purgatory route was obvious, but once again, many other creatures blamed him for their predicament. Then he remembered the secret passage that cut through Earth - directly through some caves in Jerusalem, before heading down to Hell below. This was how Jesus had been resurrected, revealing the Christian faith to those mud monkeys.

Metatron headed down through the caves, careful to conceal himself greatly, before arriving at the gates of Hell. He walked through quickly, spotting the bright red grace of his brother with ease, tinted with the scars that were left by his fall millennia ago. He saw Michael as well, bright white yet muted by the black strands this place left. Amazingly, the human soul was still intact, but a dim blue - it would not be long until it was destroyed completely.

He walked straight through the halls of Hell, the demons parting as he walked through them - he had no issue with Hell for the moment, but their destruction would be his next stage. He approached the non-corporeal bars of the cage, built with the will of the Winchesters rather than actual Hadian steel, and his brother noticed him immediately.

'Ah, little brother. I've been expecting you for some time now.'


	8. Chapter 8

There Metatron stood, facing his brother, the worst of all souls, knowing that he had been expecting him. Surely he was not as bad as his older brother?

'Metatron, my dear younger brother, you are as bad as me, perhaps worse. I did not wish the humans harm, terrible as they are. I simply refused to love them as I loved Father and our brothers. You have brought down Heaven, and now you plan to destroy Earth as well. You are many times worse than me.'

'You're wrong.' Metatron was desperate, refusing to accept that the archangel he had learnt to hate felt he was worse.

'Brother, I am never wrong. But I will help you, either way. I know what you have been doing- the entirety of Hell has been stirring, particularly since that Crowley- annoying little mite that he was- disappeared. I will help you control the human souls, and I will give you a feather to help you'- he pulled a feather out of his charred, metallic red and black wings, wincing as he did- 'if you promise that you will set me free before you destroy this place.'

'I promise you, Lucifer. What do you wish I do with the Milligan soul and Michael?'

'Leave them here. Perhaps I shall have Michael as a toy, but the soul has grown boring. Your plan seems much more entertaining.'

'I shall do as you wish. In fact, if you swear that you will not interrupt my plans, then you will be freed now.'

'I swear, little brother.'

Metatron unlocked the gate of intent with a blast of angelic power that surely would have caused an earthquake on Earth, and Lucifer stepped free, his wings expanded to their full length.

'Thank you, younger brother.'

'Leave me be, Lucifer. I do not wish to hear more of you until this is over.'  
'Agreed.' And off Lucifer went, to explore earth and cause mayhem as he could.

Michael walked up to the open gate, knowing he would be free also for a short while, as Metatron was not powerful enough here in Hell to prevent him.

'You've made a mistake, Metatron. He's dangerous.'

'I doubt it, Michael. You heard what he said- I am even more of a devil than he is.'

With that, Metatron returned to Heaven, to wait for the perfect time to perform the spell.

* * *

However, Michael and Lucifer had been plotting themselves. They both knew that Heaven could not be destroyed, or the humans controlled, and, as much as Lucifer refused to admit it, he liked the humans in his own way, and refused to have them destroyed. The two of them flew to Heaven, free for the first time in years, where Michael deposited the damaged soul of Adam Milligan in Heaven, where he would heal quickly.  
The two of them then went to find Gabriel, with whom they had already spoken - the angel communication network still functioned between the three, and they were all on the same plan. With this, Lucifer would find redemption and live in Heaven again, provided he did not threaten to destroy it. However, how would the others react to the new arrivals?  
The first person to notice the new arrivals was Naomi. She could sense her brothers, and wasn't tuned into the network due to the head wound she had received from Metatron- she assumed they had escaped and prepared to attack, her blade corporealising as she sunk into a fighting stance. She hissed at the door just as it opened, revealing the new members of Team Free Heaven.

'Lucifer, what are you doing here?!'

'I am here to help, sister. Please relax. Gabriel will explain.'

'Gabriel, you are a traitor. Why bring our...abomination of a brother here?'  
'He wants to help. I've been working with him ever since I returned to life a few weeks ago. He knows everything, and he's quite willing to help us, as is Michael.' Gabriel held his hands in front of him, showing a gesture of surrender. His sister's anger was not something to mess with.

'But how can you trust him? He destroyed us!'

'No, that was what we were taught. Father destroyed us all, over a petty issue. Lucifer never said he would hurt the humans, he just saw them as beneath him. He loves them in his own way, in the same way humans love their pets, and he is willing to protect their free will.'

'May I explain?' Michael came to the fore front, strangely protective of his brothers against his sister.

'Michael, please, why let him out?'

'Because we are not so different. These last two years after the Winchester was let out by Death, we spoke rather than tortured. Adam was damaged by our contact rather than any damage we did to him- the grace of an archangel is damaging to the human soul unless in the form of a vessel, the graces of two archangels even more so. Lucifer knows that torturing Sam was wrong, but unfortunately my younger brother doesn't understand the fact that he is in many ways like a small child who pulls the wings off of flies.  
'So we talked. We talked for two straight years, and we are in agreement- Father abandoned us, and he was unaccepting of us. We are all different, and therefore we won't have the same values. I feel the need to protect humans, whilst Gabriel feels the need to live among them as one of them. And Castiel- dear, poor old Castiel, our youngest brother- he feels the need to love them more than any of us. Perhaps we could all learn a thing or two from him. Therefore, we know what we must do. We must stop Metatron from destroying the humans' free will, particularly as we now have it ourselves to some degree.'

'Well said brother.' Lucifer clapped Michael on the back in a gesture of unity, receiving a rare smile in return.

'I'm not sure Gabriel...'

'Nay, please. Trust me on this. You know Lucifer. He won't hurt any of us, not intentionally. He just wants redemption.'

'What he said!'

'Fine. I suppose that I must deal with more of my imbecilic brothers, then.' She smiled.

'Naomi, was that a joke?'  
'No, you truly are imbeciles.'

'I...never mind.'

* * *

It was as this point that everyone came into the room. The first to spot Lucifer was Sam, who was there for a quite recon message, and he immediately freaked out, demanding to know why the hell the man who'd tortured him was there. Gabriel explained, pushing a sense of calm through the taller man, and then Sam begrudgingly accepted the explanation, helped with the fact that Lucifer apologised for the way he'd treated him, and that he knew it wasn't right. It obviously pained the archangel, which probably helped Sam accept it.  
Everyone else was wary of Lucifer, dancing on tiptoes until Michael assured them that he would keep him under control, much to Lucifer's chagrin. Bobby got very fatherly towards Sam and Dean, and demanded to know where Adam was. Michael assured him that Adam was safe in Heaven, and would remain there unless he chose otherwise. Dean decided that he would visit the much younger boy if he got the chance while he was there, and Michael agreed to direct him there, by way of apology for everything Heaven had done to the two brothers.  
Eventually, it settled down, and everyone settled down with a beer or some other alcoholic drink. They accepted the two reformed archangels, welcoming their power, before coming to a plan which involved them as well. Try then decided to settle down, as the human souls needed rest, whilst the angels agreed to stand watch. They knew Metatron had all mod his items for his spell, but that they wouldn't be able to stop him unless they attacked as he did it; the spell would leave him vulnerable, and easy to attack. Any prior attack would only weaken them, particularly as Metatron had stolen extra graces from other, now fallen angels, making him near impossible to destroy. The spell would have to occur during the Perseid meteor shower at its maximum, which would be in a couple of days.  
But they would be ready.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I feel like you all deserve an explanation for my absence the last few weeks.

Basically, I posted the last two chapters while I was abroad, meaning that the stress went away and freed me up to write. I then got home, and a week later I had to have my guinea pig, Peppermint put down, which is still quite tough to deal with, even though it's been about a month since. Then I returned to school, where I got hit with an almighty workload and the beginning of applying to university. I'm dealing with it all a lot better now, and I thank you all for persevering with me.

Now, after that big apology/explanation, on with the chapter!

* * *

The time was nearing, and they all knew what was coming. They'd kept tabs on Metatron for the last two days, tracking his every move, and now they knew was what happening. The Perseid meteor shower was that night, and all the souls in Heaven could feel a change in the atmosphere.

Gabriel and Naomi were watching the meteors begin to head towards the Earth, and they sat, silently enjoying each other's company.

'Tonight, I take it then, Brother.'

'Yeah, Nay. Tonight. You ready?'

'As I'll ever be. Shall we go back inside?'

'One last thing.' Gabriel pulled his younger sister into a hug, a heartbreakingly human gesture, and she hesitantly returned it, feeling comfort emanating from her brother. Suddenly, Michael and Lucifer were there too, staring at them, before patting them both on the back and walking back together. Everyone was used to the four archangels being there – with the exception of Raphael who no one really missed, because he'd always been a dreadful brother- and they all made their final preparations about attacking Metatron.

* * *

Meanwhile, Metatron was prepared for anything that they might throw at him. He had all of the ingredients he needed, and he was just waiting. He knew they'd come, but they didn't know that he knew this. He had already made himself invulnerable to everything he could think of, including angel blades, and there were no archangels that he knew of still alive apart from the two he had working for him. And, of course, Gabriel.

Damned Gabriel, he'd almost ruined everything that he'd planned. And once upon a time he thought that his annoying older brother would have helped him to do what he wanted.

And he knew what was going to happen that night. It'd been explained from time immemorial, told by the lesser known prophets; that one day heaven would fall, and it would be left to one to raze, or preserve. The ingredients were exactly where he needed them, and he knew it wouldn't be long until he could go through with his plan. He also knew he would be most vulnerable during the spell, but he had that covered with the archangels. He called his two older brothers to him, not feeling the need to have kept tabs on them, and turned around to tell them exactly what he wanted doing, not knowing that the others were listening in.

'Lucifer, please prevent anyone from entering the clearing whilst I am performing the spell. Michael, could you protect the inner clearing?'

'Yes, we can, Metatron.' The brothers replied in sync, almost sounding robotic, but he was too preoccupied to pay much attention.

'Good. Now, please leave me', he said, and the two brothers left, returning to their other brother.'

'What did he say?'

'We're the only ones able to get close to him. You'll have to trust us to prevent him from finishing the spell. Can you do that?'

'Yes, but if you could let both Naomi and I into the circle, we can help you both.'

'That sounds quite good. Your planning skills have improved, brother.' Lucifer ruffled Gabriel's hair, whilst the smaller man whacked the hand away like an eight year old.

'Yeah, well, I have grown up a lot since then.'

'Not in height though.' Ah, there was the Michael that had gone missing many years ago.

'Shuddup.'

'Yes, brothers, shut up, or I may have to try and control you all like when we were small.'

'Yes, Naomi', the brothers said in unison, before preparing to leave.

'Good. Right everyone, let's go.'

'Whoa, girl. Let everyone say good luck and stuff.'

'Fine. I'll be outside, waiting for everyone. Good luck, I suppose.'

With that, Naomi walked out, her older brothers trailing behind her. The humans all said goodbye, especially to Sam and Dean, who were now being returned to their bodies and an ever more anxious Castiel. Bad enough to be human, but to be completely alone as well? Not a good mix.

Everyone else was preparing to leave; Jimmy, Bobby, Ellen, Ash, Jo- everyone who had been there, as well as a few who would meet them on the way, namely former Men of Letters and Hunters. Sam and Dean returned home, were hugged by an extremely relieved Castiel, and then went on to hunt the usual mundane things.

* * *

Everyone was now on their way to the clearing, where Metatron was beginning his spell. The archangels were surrounding him, their blades in their hands, and they smiled when they noticed their friends and family. Metatron was embroiled in his spell, and he was beginning to glow ethereally whilst saying many incantations in Old Enochian script. They knew they had to wait until the height of the spell to attack him, and then they could get him.

As the spell heightened, everyone hushed as the words became to get louder and louder, before they could see Metatron's grace being extracted from him. He screamed and fell to the floor, before Lucifer ran to him, blade raised, but not in time for the grace to re-enter the vessel. Metatron stood up and knocked Lucifer out with the force of an angel three times his age.

He turned to them.

'Let the games begin.'

* * *

A/N: Whoo, cliffhanger! Feel free to hate me, but I have a plan, and there will be a very special appearance by someone we haven't met yet...feel free to guess, and please review, I swear I will update this thing more.


End file.
